


Veils and Vizards

by solangeloandotheradorablethings



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Coming Out, Light Angst, M/M, Mostly Fluff, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 08:08:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18007106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solangeloandotheradorablethings/pseuds/solangeloandotheradorablethings
Summary: [portrait] BOY replacing and perfecting mask after mask after mask after-





	Veils and Vizards

“Nico?” Will mumbled quietly to the son of Hades, “Nico, you-you don’t have to do this, alright?” 

 

Will cocked his head to the side, shaggy blonde hair following his movements, pale blue eyes glinting with concern and reassurance. There was a subtle intensity to his stare, a blunt alertness and coiled energy in his frame so different from his usual, lazed demeanour. 

 

“No,” Nico whispered, tucking jet black strands of hair behind his ears, “I have to do this, Will. It’s time I stopped pretending,”

 

The older boy nodded in understanding, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cutoff shorts, flipflops trailing the ground as he offered a small smile, one which Nico took gratefully,

 

“Good luck, death boy,” Will grinned, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “I-I’m here.”

 

Nico paused, his face remained stoic, blank, “I know, William. I believe you,” he then smiled, genuinely, like he was saving that smile for those words from those lips,

 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Will whispered carefully, fingers teasing the clay beads around his neck,

 

“This is something I have to do on my own,” Nico grunted, the tenderness shying from his face, 

 

“No, Neeks,” Will interrupted defiantly, quickly grabbing Nico’s wrists, forcing the younger boy to look at him, “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m right here, let me be there with you.”

 

A smile purred onto Nico’s lips, he nodded thankfully, accepting the hug that Will granted him, “Thank you, Solace.” he muttered into the bright orange folds of Will’s CHB shirt,

 

Fear crippled his movements, nerves pooling sweat at the nape of his neck and the tips of his fingers. 

 

He closed his eyes but all he saw were pink triangles and hushed voices. 

 

All he heard was his teacher condemning him to hell as he spoke about the possibilities of liking other boys. 

 

All he felt was sick; like he deserved every punishment that laced his life. Sick that every loss was just venomous spite drawn like blood from his sexuality.

 

“Percy,” he whimpered out, head ducked away from seafoam eyes, the same eyes that had waved his sister off to her funeral, “I- I have- I need you to- uh, there's, there's something you need to know.”

 

Percy greeted the boy with a brotherly smile; like he was still the child that had stumbled upon his responsibility all those years ago. Seaweed brain indeed, so unknowing to the detrimental words about to be heard,

 

“I don’t like Annabeth,” Nico blurted out, immediately clutching Will’s arm for support as weak faltered his knees, “Not that I don’t like Annabeth, I just, don’t, like, her?”

 

Cursing under his breath, Nico looked back at the couple as he rearranged his speech, he saw the confusion and hurt that marred their expressions and hated himself for it, “Nico, it’s alright, you can tell us,” Annabeth told him, smiling gently,

 

“No, you don’t understand! I  _can’t_ , it’s not that easy for me!” 

 

Pink triangles that marked men who tumbled down cobblestone streets. Hurtling stones thrown from mocking children. The finger marks that stained his own wrists as his teacher dragged him to churches, forced him to confessions, forced him to sick normality.

 

Tucked in bed asking his mother if there was something wrong with him, unable to answer when she’d reply with “What on earth made you think a thing like that?”

 

He remembered lightning that whipped his mother dead flashing brilliantly in his eyes, his mother lost because of his choice. 

 

 _Gay_.

 

An insult, a curse, a sin. 

 

Gay.

 

“Nico?” Will’s voice broke him from his thoughts, he looked into sky bird eyes, watched chapped lips twitch into a soft smile, studied the constellation of freckles that marched tanned cheeks,

 

And he realised he had to do this. He had to stop pretending, had to start remembering that 1940 wasn’t today. He had to show his family that he wasn’t a complete failure; for his sister, for his mother.

 

“Gay.” Nico let go of Will, forced himself to look back at Percy, “I’m gay. And I like you, well, I did. But not anymore, you are just a brother to me now. And Annabeth, I’m happy for you, really.”

 

Percy looked like he had a million questions stirring in his kelp-filled brain, but Annabeth’s arm on his shoulder hushed him, “Thank you, Nico. For telling us, it was very brave of you.” she paused, storm eyes shimmering with consideration, “Bianca would have been proud.”

 

She crouched to his height, not that far from her own, before placing a kiss on his freckled cheekbone, “ _I’m_ proud.” she added, in unison with her boyfriend, 

 

“As am I.” Will agreed, wrapping his burly arms around the smaller boy, 

 

Finally, for the first time in an achingly long time, Nico could breathe. The shackles of society he’d forged from his memories loosened, not completely, not enough to be gone; but enough for him to walk.

 

Finally, Nico could be himself. 


End file.
